The Beginnings of Empire, 168-27 BC (Provincial Coins)

The Beginnings of Empire, 168-27 BC

The project
Work on provincial coins in the Roman Empire has demonstrated their potential to be used as a source to understand local culture as well as perceptions of the emperor and Roman power. The provincial coinage of the Republican period, however, has received little attention. By examining the iconography of coins struck by Roman officials and cities outside Rome in the period 168-27 BC, this project seeks to uncover how Roman power was represented, negotiated or rejected before the creation of the principate.

The database
Another major aim of the project is to broaden access to and understanding of this material in disciplines other than numismatics. Consequently, the raw data generated by the project is being made available online for free public use. Users should note that the database only provides an overview of the iconography being struck in regions under Roman control; it does not list every variation and subtype. For these, users are recommended to consult the publications listed in the bibliography.

This is an ongoing project. At the moment, the database has good coverage of Italy, Africa, Macedonia, and the coins struck by Roman moneyers outside Rome as listed in Crawford’s Roman Republican Coinage. We plan to work on Achaea, Crete and Cyrenaica over the summer.